Folding umbrella.



L. MESSINGBR. FOLDING UMBRELLA. APPLIUATION rILED JULY 19, 1911.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

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LEOPOLD MESSINGER, OF FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN, GERMANY.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led .Tuly 19, 1911.

Patented Dec. 30, MMS.

serial No. 639,302.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEOPOLD MnssiNGnn, engineer, a citizen of the German Empire, residing` at Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Province of Hesse-Nassau and Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Umbrellas, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention lrelates to umbrellas and has special reference to the construction of the ribs whereby the umbrella may be collapsed into a very small compass and placed in a receptacle of limited capacity, but when arranged for use will possess all the rigidity of umbrellas as now ordinarily constructed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and is hereinafter fully described, the nove-l features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of an umbrella rib embodying my invention, showing the body members in elevation and the locking sleeves in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of one of the body members or links of the rib on a somewhat larger scale. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the locking sleeves. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional elevation showing the mounting of the lowermost sleeve. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the upper end of the umbrella.

Each rib is composed of a plurality (preferably four) of body members or links c directly connected at their meeting ends by hinge joints j, and locking sleeves j slidably mounted on the links and adapted to extend over the joints or points of connection between the links. The links may be of any desired length, dependent upon the size of the umbrella, and the intermediate links have projections a which co-act with internal beads or stops Z) on the locking sleeves f to limit the movement of said sleeves. It will be readily understood that if the several locking sleeves be moved longitudinally to extend over the hinge joints'y', as shown in Fig. l, they will prevent movement of the links relativey to each other and the rib will constitute a rigid support for the umbrella cover, but if the sleeves be moved toward the lower end of the rib the meeting ends of the sleeves or sleeve sections, which are denoted by the letter in Fig. l of the drawings, will coincide with the joints in the ribs, permitting slight separation so that the joints will be uncovered, as shown in Fig. 5, and the rib may then be folded by swinging the links about their hinged connections. The stop ZJ and the projection a are so located that when the bead engages the proj ection, the meeting ends of the sleeves will be adjacent the joints between the links and will consequently offer no obstruction to the folding of the links. In extending or folding the ribs, the umbrella is naturally held in an` approximately vertical position, and in order to prevent the locking sleeves from dropping in this position of the umbrella, the lowest sleeve is provided with an internally threaded extremity 7c which will engage the externally threaded stem or eXtension Z of the lowest link. Rotation of the lowest sleeve will obviously cause it to ride along the threaded stem or extension and, as each sleeve supports the sleeve above itself, it is evident that adjustment of the lowest sleeve will effect simultaneous ladjustment of all the sleeves and that all the sleeves will be held in their adjusted positions by the engagement of the lowest sleeve with the threaded stem.

Y The upper-ends Z of the ribs are pivotally secured in the angle formed by the crown L and the stad holding sleeve e upon which the crown is secured, the lower end z' of said sleeve being split, as shown, whereby it may be made to firmly clamp the umbrella stick by means of a collar or nut m, as will be readily understood. A rib spreading device or ring g adjustably mounted on the sleeve, intermediate its ends, has its edge in contact with the ribs, as shown in Fig. 5, so that if the ring be moved toward the upper end of the sleeve, the ribs will be spread and the cover stretched without the interposition of the usual stretchers, as the ribs rest on the ring g, and if the ring be moved toward the lower end of the sleeve, the iunbrella will be closed.

It will be readily noted from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, that l have provided a construction by which the umbrella will be effectually held against collapse when in use, and that the umbrella may be reduced to the smallest possible compass when it is desired to store or transport the same.

Various changes may be made in the deloo tails of the umbrella without involving a departure from the invention as the same is defined in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire t0 secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An umbrella rib consisting of a plurality of connected links having screw threads thereon, a plurality of locking sleeves mounted on said links, and means, consisting of a screw thread in one of said sleeves adapted to engage a screw thread on one of said links for simultaneously adjusting the locking sleeves.

2. An umbrella. rib consisting of a plurality of links, connections between said links, a plurality of locking sleeves mounted on said links and adapted to extend over said connections, and means to limit the movement of the sleeves, said means consisting of projections on the ribs and stops on the interior of the sleeves coacting with said projections.

3. An umbrella rib consisting of a series of links pivoted together at their meeting ends, a threaded stem extending from the lower end of the lowermost link, and a series oi' locking sleeves slidably mounted on the links and adapted to extend over the pivoted connections of the same, each sleeve being supported by the sleeve below it and the lowermost sleeve beinO provided with means for engaging the t readed stem to adjust the sleeves.

4L. An umbrella rib consisting of a series of links hinged together at their meeting ends and a series of locking sleeves mounted on said links so as to rest one upon the other and adapted to extend over and cover the joints connecting said links giving the general appearance of one continuous sleeve inolosing the links, the intermediate links being provided with projections andthe sleeves inclosing the same being provided with internal stops adapted to engage said projections for limiting the movement of the sleeves.

ln testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in 'presence of two witnesses.

LEOPOLD` MESSINGER. Witnesses:

FRIEDRICH CARL WENTZEL, HERMANN HPPNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents `each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

